The Role of a Quality Leader

Management’s job is to optimize the entire system over time. ~ Dr. W. Edwards Deming

Leading/Managing by Systems:

1. Leading from values and focusing on aim, vision and mission, both for the entire organization and his/her department.

2. Understanding your systems or process – taking the time to learn what your employees’ jobs really are and really understanding the process.

• Understanding and conveying to his/her people the meaning of a system – explaining the aim of the system and how the work of the group supports the aim.

• Helping people to see themselves as valued components in a system, to work in cooperation with preceding stages and with following stages toward optimization of the efforts of all stages toward achievement of the stated aim – making employees feel important and needed.

3. Understanding the customers’ requirements and expectations and how to meet/exceed them (applies to both internal and external customers).

4. Understanding suppliers’ issues and concerns.

5. Having stable systems and understanding a stable system – knowing that in a stable state it is distracting to tell the worker about a “mistake” – prediction is the key (being able to predict).

6. Ensuring impeccable adherence to systems and standards – ensuring procedures are being followed correctly and retraining, coaching or disciplining where necessary.

7. Continually providing data on how well the system is performing.

8. Continuously improving your systems – aligning the system average on target and/or reducing variation – involving everyone in continuous improvement by being open to new ideas, being open for suggestions for improvement and listening and learning from employee’s suggestions, concerns, and complaints.

• Understanding that people are different from each other (this is not ranking people) and trying to create for everyone interest and challenge, and joy in work – trying to optimize everyone.

• Trying to discover who if anybody is outside the system, in need of special help and providing such help (this can be accomplished with simple calculations, if there be individual figures on production or on failures).

Managing Productivity:

19. Meeting and exceeding the voice of the customer (building/providing a quality product/service, and seeing to it that the customer is delighted, including on time delivery).

20. Good planning – The First 15% – for daily working of his/her people – setting priorities – knowing his/her people and taking advantage of strengths by assigning the right person to the right job – coordinating work between employees/departments – giving clear directions/assignments.